Well, this topic has kind of turned into "What are Gnomes, compared to everything else?" Which is a rather excellent question, but to properly answer that, you do have to answer what the other races are first... So, without creating a mile and half long post, here are what I think the core races are, and how they are compared to Gnomes.
-Humans: Humans are by far the simplest of the races. They are usually everywhere, and they can do just about anything. They range greatly, and have no truly determined draw-back. (Humans, to me are usually boring, and I only use if I can't pick a good race for the character...)
-Half-Elves: Out-siders, not really belonging anywhere, and yet, somehow finding a place amongst one kin or the other, usually hiding themselves, and there mixed heritage.
-Half-Orcs: Despised by most, Half-Orcs that are raised by orcs rise in the ranks, and usually take over there tribe due to higher intellect and wisdom. Half-Orcs in civilized society vary almost as much as humans, though they seem to want their end goal just a bit more then the average human, as if trying to prove something. (I like Half-Orc Paladins a lot.)
-Elves: Known to be tree dwelling, and magic loving, elves are usually thought to be generally pompous, and arrogant, though this isn't really the case. It has more to do with the fact that because they out live the other races, they can't seem to bring themselves to care much about affairs of other people, unless it affects them in some way.
-Dwarves: Commonly thought of as drunken miners by the outside world, because they live in caverns older then the oldest forests, and the fact that they love a good ale as much as a shiny gem, Dwarves are actually deep thinkers, and great craftsmen, spending there days working on ways to surpass magic with technology, mainly because they don't find the arcane arts to be backward thinking, compared to the possibilities of science.
-Halflings: When pictured, Halflings are thought of as pipe-smoking hill dwellers, who eat to much, or city scrounging thieves, trying to get that last bit of copper from your purse. However, what they all have in common is there sense of loyalty, and family. Without a doubt in my mind, Halflings always picture home. Every move and thought they make is to better both themselves, and their family waiting for them back home.
-Gnomes: Now these pesky little guys are thought to be strange. They are odder then the "uncaring" elves, or the science loving dwarves. They live in jungles, hills, forests, and mountains, anywhere they can easily tuck themselves away, so they can remain hidden from the world at large, because to them, politics don't matter. Wars are pointless. They care more for the enjoyment live brings, over destruction. This is why, to an outsider, they may appear as tricksters, or pranksters, because really, they're just looking to have fun with the boring 'big folks'.
Now, while gnomes do live in moderate seclusion from the world around them, they are an insanely curious bunch. Maybe not curious enough ignore fear, or common-sense (entirely), but they will be willing, more often then not, to do something that they haven't done before for one of two reasons, the knowledge gained from having that experience under their belt, or just to say they've done it.
Now, gnomes as a whole, seem to be shoe horned into tinker, druid, or illusionist, but to be perfectly honest, I find the gnome is best fitted as a bard, or a cleric (usually to a neutral god of nature), or the ever despised (or at least to me, they seem to be despised) sorcerer. (If your in pathfinder, any bloodline will work, honestly.)
(I hope I didn't ramble on to much, but anyways, yeah... I guess that's my second cent worth of my two-cents worth.)
